I've been witnessing an astronomical rise in people's stress levels and anxiety. Beyond the detriment to one’s body, the mental and emotional toll is profound. I'm not immune to stress; I understand it personally.
When there's deep childhood wounds or trauma stuck in the nervous system, it can be really hard to regulate your fight or flight response. Add to that the amped up energy in the world and all the places our attention is pulled, as well as the drive to “do, do, do.” It can be exhausting, and cause overwhelm. The first step to calming that, is a very deep grounding meditation; getting out of the mental spin and into your body. Matching the slow healing frequency of the earth, to create an experience of rooted calm. I know that that's not always easy. Usually there are so many issues that can keep you from wanting to be grounded, including stored pain in the body. The irony is, the more you’re in your body and connected to the Earth, the easier it is to release the pain. If you’re dissociated and out of your body, the pain stays trapped. You’re here on this planet to experience life in a body. From within, is where you can create and manifest change; not from flying out in the ethers. Being grounded in yourself is the place of greatest empowerment for you. And where you can experience a deep feeling of safety. This is why I'm always talking about grounding yourself. This is why I consistently release grounding meditations. I want to help you feel more powerfully embodied. (Check out my meditations on YouTube) If this triggers you at all, breathe. You may have stored trauma coming to the surface. Simply sit with the idea that it can be possible to feel comfortable and safe in your body. Don’t push the issue, just sit with the idea. Interestingly, I was going to remind you of this even before I released the upcoming meditation class. Check it out if you want a different experience of being in your body. One in which your body becomes your friend, and a sacred space for your spirit. You’ll know if it’s right for you.
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My husband recently showed me a brilliant old interview with George Harrison of The Beatles, in which he describes how he meditates. In the video, he said that he imagines himself to be on the bottom of the ocean, grounded to the planet, while allowing all the turbulence of the ocean waves above (a metaphor for all his thoughts and emotions) to not impact him in his peaceful place at the bottom.
I love that imagery. With all the continual chaos in the world and any chaos in your personal reality, it can be easy to find yourself amongst the waves getting tossed and turned. But if you think of yourself sinking below the turmoil to that quiet, still place on the ocean floor, you can find calm. There’s power in sinking in, versus flying out of your body. Many of us leave our bodies when feelings, thoughts, and emotions get intense. We float. But you can't heal yourself nor change your reality, when you're not present and in your body. When the discord amps up in your life, use this imagery to pull yourself out of your mental and emotional chatter and swirl, to sit on the ocean floor and ground yourself more deeply into your physical body where you can connect to your intuition and truth. There you can be aware of the storms and waves raging above, but able to stay neutral and at peace. What is the value in grounding yourself?
The more grounded you are, the safer you’ll feel because you’re connecting to the planet, versus floating out of your body. Grounding helps pull your energy field around you so that you can condense into yourself, there by fortifying your space. You become less scattered, and more impenetrable to other people’s energies. Grounding helps you to be in present time, versus the past or the future. When you’re grounded, you’re less reactive and more empowered. You can think more clearly when you’re grounded. You’ll find you’re more focused versus being easily distracted. The more grounded you are, the easier to actualize your dreams because you can bring them out of the clouds and into your body/reality. Add to that running earth energy. Running earth energy calms anxiety. It also clears frenetic energy and fractured thoughts. Earth energy and grounding are calming balms to your system. We’re on the earth to BE on the earth. I’ve recorded many grounding meditations for you and tonight night I’m leading you in a detailed one to get you present and calm. We’ll also be doing chakra work to bring them into balance. You don’t have to be on the call live, the replay will be sent to all who join. There’s a reason I’ve been grounding myself since I learned how at age 22. If you’re anxious, scattered, fearful, and not in your body, join me. You all know how I harp on the benefits/power of being grounded, and I know that some of you desire a quick and easy way to do it. Especially because you can start the day grounded, and then something comes up that knocks you out. We all have ways we dissociate or go unconscious to what’s in front of us, so these techniques will bring you back into your body.
Some of us learn best with visuals, some through auditory means, and some through feeling. We’re all a combination of each, but most people tend to have one or two ways that they prefer. Finding out your way is extremely beneficial because then you’ll know how you best take in and comprehend information. If you’re not sure, think about this: if I were giving you directions right now, would you understand best if I talked you through the way to go, or if I gave you visuals of what you’d pass? Also think about how much when you tell a story, you bring up how you felt in each moment. These are simplified ways to discover your preferences, but play with it and begin to notice where your strengths are. That being said, here are techniques to appeal to each category: Feeling: Wherever you are, whatever’s going on, just take a moment to still yourself, and put your attention and focus on your body. Sit down, take a breath, and feel your legs sitting on the chair/couch. Really feel into the backs of your thighs being supported by the chair. Then take a moment to feel your back being supported by the chair. Keep breathing. Feel your feet on the ground. Take your time and feel these areas. That in and of itself, taking those moments to feel into your body and to feel what you’re sitting on, can bring you into immediate presence. Feeling your feet and the base of your spine supported by the chair, brings focus to your first chakra which is all about safety and security. Auditory: Stop where you are and sit still for a moment. Then listen to the sounds around you. Really focus on the sounds that you hear. After doing that for 30 seconds to a minute, focus on the silence between the sounds. Now I know that sounds crazy, and you’re probably wondering how you focus on the silence between sounds, but don’t try to figure it out, get out of your thinking mind, and just put your focus on the space between the sounds. It’s not that you stop hearing the sounds, it’s that your focus moves to the space around the sounds. Do that for 30 seconds to a minute. And then focus on any sounds again. Again, this gets you remarkably present to what’s happening around you, and it gets you into your body. Most times, I combine the two above: I’ll feel into my body, and then I’ll listen to the sounds. When I used to act, my acting teacher Stuart Rogers was the one who taught these techniques to be used together. They’re incredibly effective. Visual: Either sitting or standing, eyes opened or closed, imagine/visualize a thick root/tree trunk/cord going from your first chakra (base of spine) down to the center of the planet where it will anchor in. Then imagine roots going from your feet chakras down to the center of the planet. Release all the excess energy you’re holding- yours and others that you’ve picked up. Take a deep breath and on the exhale, blow the energy out, seeing it/letting it all go down that cord. Now visualize all of your energy condensing into the center of your body, into that central channel that runs from the base of your spine to the top of your head. Call all of your energy and power back to you. As you do this, imagine yourself being held and supported by the earth. Then visualize/imagine a thick violet (or other color) bubble around you that acts as a shield, to keep your energy in, and everyone else’s energies out, giving your space boundary. (There’s a guided meditation here if you have time and want a more thorough experience. And here is a blog on taking your power back.) Even if you don't/can't visualize clearly, use the power of your imagination to bring it into being. This will anchor you into present time and bring you back to yourself Breath Work: With all of the above techniques, it’s important to slow down and pay attention to your breathing. Focused breathing is a technique in and of itself. Notice if your breaths are shallow and if so, keep releasing what you’re worried about/holding onto, and try to get your breath deep into your abdomen. Keep going as long as you need. My friend Sheva Carr, who is a Director at HeartMath, says to breathe slowly to the count of five and then exhale slowly to the count of five. It doesn't have to be five, especially if you're too stressed to breathe so slowly; as long as the inhale and exhale are at an even count. Not only does that get you present, but it gets you calm and centered. There are many breathing techniques you can try, explore and see what works best for you. We don’t live in a bubble, neither are we perfect, so there will always be things that knock you out of balance. The important thing is, how quickly do you come back to center? Because the more present and empowered you are, the more you will make wise decisions, the more you will not be impacted by the negative energies around you, and the more you will react consciously as an adult, versus falling into childhood/adolescent patterns of behavior. You have the power to shift your experiences throughout your day by your conscious presence. Choose to show up fully. Today I’m releasing a new grounding meditation. Why you might ask when I’ve done this before? Because we need to be grounded and present more than ever.
It’s not enough to do as I’ve said in the past and just see the grounding cord go into the earth. Now it's necessary to be extra specific and root into the inner core. Many are grounding on a more surface level and thus feeling the chaos in the world, versus the deep, earthy, gravitational healing energy. In the meditation, I also help get you centered into yourself and disconnected, in a good way, from the amped up energies around you. This is something you do daily. When you start your day this way each morning, you will respond to people/circumstances from a place of more empowerment. There’s a reason I’ve done this consistently each morning for over 25 years now. It doesn’t mean you won’t have issues come up, but when you’re grounded and present, you’ll be better equipped to handle what does arise. Some notes: - Disconnect your current grounding cord every morning, or before each time you create a new one. Life happens and situations may arise that knock you out of your body and in need of a new cord. I imagine my current one easily unhooking from each chakra and from my aura, and dropping away. Then I picture it exploding. - You may need to create a shield more than once in a day if you take on someone else’s stuff or if you lose your space. Again, it’s not infallible, sometimes you need to re-create it. If you’re in a conversation with a difficult person, make sure part of you is aware that your shield is up. The more you become aware of it, the more you’ll feel the effects. - I say "shield" versus "protection." Here’s why: Right now, say, “I need protection.” How do you feel? Maybe a little scared? Then say, “I need shielding.” Notice the difference in your body. Saying you need protection weakens your system as if something external can infiltrate and overtake you. Shielding brings you to a state of empowerment within yourself. As if you’re a warrior. The only other thing I’ll add, is make this personal for you: play with shield colors, grounding styles and colors- find what works best for you. Veer from my map if you desire and create something that resonates and that you’ll do consistently. Happy grounding and may it help you feel much more present and empowered! Recently a bunch of you have said to me that you don’t know how to meditate. It’s actually simpler than you think. There are so many ways; really you need to find what works best for you.
Regardless of which you choose, consistency is key. Personally I like to start my day in meditation. Not only am I much more present and centered when I do, but I also think more clearly and get things done more easily. It’s up to you if you want music or no music while you’re meditating. You may even like bells (see Number 3 below). Here are some ideas to get you started: 1: Focus on your breath. This is the easiest form and can be done anywhere, anytime. Close your eyes and simply focus on your breathing. If any thoughts try to distract you, don’t fight them, let them move through you and refocus on your breath. Ultimately, you want to get your breath down into your belly, not up in your lungs. It’s also more calming if you can breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. The key is to be present to what you’re experiencing. Becoming the observer versus participating in what you’re thinking/feeling. This particular category is huge and can branch out. Here are a few examples:
2: Mantras. From a place of stillness, you focus on words or phrases.
3: Guided Meditation. Beyond YouTube, there are great apps with guided meditations to help so that you simply follow along. I like Insight Timer and I’ve heard about Calm and Headspace but can’t speak to them. Insight Timer has tons of free meditations for any issue you have, however my favorite part is the bells you can set to go off at intervals. I find it very peaceful and it helps me focus. There are 10 different bells in the timer section so that you can customize what you want. 4: Active Meditation. This is what I do and what I’ve talked about with you all: grounding myself, running earth and cosmic energy, and doing chakra work. While I absolutely start from a place of focused stillness, I then move on. For me, it works best because my mind is super active so if I engage it to set up my space, then I feel much more present and empowered and can have those moments of quiet nothingness afterwards. 5: Movement Meditation. Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong are all ways to get present and into your body with specific focused movements. Walking in nature can also be very meditative if you simply focus on the trees and the sky - all of your surroundings, and release all thoughts. You can add-on to any form above that you like, such as being in the energy of gratitude and making a gratitude list or doing a chakra cleanse (more on that in an upcoming week). Also, any act of creativity can be meditative: painting, dancing, even cooking, provided you are present to it and enjoying it versus being in your head over thinking. Ultimately, you need to surrender to an energy greater than you and allow yourself to relax and experience presence and peace. All of your power is in the now, and meditation is a way to bring you fully here. Happy Meditating! Many of us have an issue with over-thinking: going into a mental spin and working ourselves up. Sometimes it’s with the overwhelm of all we need to accomplish, sometimes it’s because we’re taking things personally that aren’t personal (nothing is by the way), and sometimes it’s because we’re taking on too much/doing too much/trying to control everything. These are just a few examples, the point is, we over-think things to death. We harp on issues of, “What did he mean when he said that to me?” or “Everything has to be done perfectly and I don’t have enough time!” By the way, lack of anything- time, money- is a huge precursor to the mental spin. We think, think, think and what does all that thinking that bring about? Stress. As Louise Kay (not Hay) says, it’s time to “Stop thinking and start feeling!” We need to slow things down. (Which is the greatest irony of the fear of not enough time. By slowing down, we actually gain time). So how do we do that? When we’re in a spin and can’t quiet our minds, what’s the solution? Focus on your feet. “What?” you may be saying, “How is focusing on my feet going to help?” Here’s how- by focusing on your feet and really feeling into them, you get out of your mind and back into your body. The feet are connected to the root chakra so it’s a way to ground and anchor yourself in. When you’re grounded, you can respond more truthfully and with wisdom to what you need to do. You can let go of things that really don’t matter. You can be present to what’s in front of you and make empowered choices. The spin is tool of the negative ego; anchoring into the depth of your body is the way to combat that. I’ve recorded a short meditation to help you with this very thing. It’ll be especially useful for when the spin is so bad, you need outside support to slow down and focus. Bookmark this meditation so you have it available to help you when you need it most. And remember, all your power is in your ability to be present and grounded. That’s where the answers and insights can come easily and elegantly to you. So get out of your head, and into your body. Meditation Music by Marisa Imon Today I’m giving you a meditation for grounding. It’s based on a technique I learned in my early 20s at the Marin Psychic Institute. Over time I've refined it and added components from both Lazaris and Dr. Sue Morter. I do this each and every morning.
It is imperative that you ground. Earth energy calms anxieties, as well as the frenetic energy of society, and all the craziness of computers and EMFs. I have been noticing for the past few months that my 8th chakra has become integral to my grounding practice, and wonderfully, I heard a FB live this past weekend from Belinda Davidson, a psychic with whom I have taken classes, and she said the very same thing. So clearly something is going on that we need a deeper level of anchoring given all the chaos on the planet. So here is an introduction to get you grounded and into your body. You need to be in your body to both create your reality, and to experience the fullness of life. I have more I can teach you and add over time, but for now, master this and your days will completely change. I have spoken about the importance of grounding before, but I wanted to give more insight into the first chakra to explain why that is so necessary.
The first chakra, which is red, is located at the base of the spine and deals with issues related to safety, security, and belonging. Some people have never fully anchored into this chakra from stored trauma in the body and not wanting to be fully present. The problem is, in order to really manifest what you want in your reality, you need to be grounded in. If all of your ideas and desires are just floating around, they can’t be actualized. They need to be anchored to the earth, which means you need to be anchored into your body. Same with issues around safety and security. In order to truly feel safe, you need to be in your body, otherwise anxiety can arise. If you are ever feeling especially anxious, put your attention on your first chakra. An imbalanced first chakra brings with it issues relating to lower back pain, autoimmune diseases, constipation, chronic fatigue, being scattered, depressed, and living in financial struggle. A very simple way to begin to activate and open up this chakra, is to put your attention on it every day and see beautiful red light filling all the layers of that chakra. Don’t get hung up on seeing the different layers or worried about whether they’re filled or not, just put your attention on your base of spine, and breathe in red light. Lazaris says each chakra has 12 layers, so you could count to 12, very slowly, allowing that red to come in and fill and activate that chakra. When you first start doing this, you may not feel like anything is there. You may feel like the energy is constricted, or just empty. Simply notice that and continue to focus on bringing in red light. If you don’t visualize colors well, do not stress, simply put your attention on that area. Do this for a few moments and then fill that chakra with white light. Throughout your day, bring your attention back to the base of your spine. Notice if you are present or floating. Are you in the moment or are you checking out? Are you truly sitting in your reality or are you off in lala land? Just be aware and allow yourself to be willing to anchor in so that that energy center can open more and more, helping you to manifest a reality of incredible safety, security, and financial abundance. I’m not a naturally grounded person; I’m actually quite airy. I have to work at being grounded, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my sanity, my reality, and showing up fully in present time.
When I first started learning to ground myself, I hated being in my body. It felt so heavy. I loved being able to multitask and flit around. But all that does is scatter your energy and keep you from having all your power in the present moment. After doing it almost daily for over 27 years, I now very rarely miss a day, and boy would it be evident if I did! Doing it for so long, it’s still something that I both value and have to be conscientious of. Especially during my day, not just starting the day grounded, but continuing to bring myself back into my body and present time throughout the entire day. Let me clarify, being grounded isn’t necessarily the same as meditating because sometimes meditation will take you out of your body. I’m talking about getting fully into your body. For me personally, I use grounding myself as the starting point for my meditation. One of the main advantages to being grounded is being able to handle whatever comes up in your life, with more ease, while also being able to think clearly. Grounding yourself is a way to bring you back into the present and only in the present can you get the clarity and answers to move forward in an empowered way, while keeping all of your energy within you. If you ever notice yourself being swept up in emotional reaction and meltdown, that’s a signal that you’ve completely left your body and present time. It could be as simple as being reactive to something someone says, or being overwhelmed by a problem in front of you. If you’re chronically anxious or fearful, you’re not grounded. Anxiety usually arises from having too much of your energy in the future, in the unknown, the “what if‘s” and the fears, worries and doubts. Bring all your energy into the now and from there you can respond lovingly to your body, asking what’s being triggered and dealing with it from an aware state. The more you try to escape those energies, the more revved up you’ll be. You need to become more present, not less, as uncomfortable as that may sound. Connecting to the earth is the way to ground out all of that angst and emotional trauma. Before grounding yourself, first and foremost, stop and take a deep breath. I mean deep, to the belly, fully body breath during which you release all of the tension you’re holding. Then, one of the best ways to ground, is to connect to the first chakra, which is at the base of your spine. This chakra is red and deals with issues of safety and security. You could simply put your focus there and breathe into that area, while feeling yourself grow roots from your feet down into the planet. While sending those roots down, you could call up some earth energy to swirl through your feet. Or you could create a grounding cord, which for me is the most effective method, picturing a thick cord of energy connecting your first chakra to the center of the planet and allowing that cord to pull out all the whirl of emotions etc., while helping you feel the earth. (I teach how to do this in more detail in my meditation on the resources page). You can also picture that cord going from the top of your head, down your spine, and into the planet. That way your whole body feels more solid and connected. And finally, you could literally go outside, take off your shoes, and stand on the Earth. While you’re out there, you could hug a tree, because trees are great for grounding. There are many ways to ground but the key is to find one that works for you and do it with consistency. When you make friends with your body and get fully into it, the calmer and more empowered you’ll feel and the better able you’ll be to respond to what’s right in front of you with wisdom and understanding. |
AuthorMe, Tina Germain, just sharing ways to make you the best you can be! Archives
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